Why Shop Local?
| FACT SHEETS
Concise and compelling information about the impacts of big-box stores.
Download and distribute these fact sheets, or enlarge and display them
as posters at meetings.
Note on copyright – These fact sheets are licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works
3.0 License. This means you are free to print, copy and distribute them,
provided it is for noncommercial purposes and you do not alter them in
any way.
We Need Your Input — Please tell us how you used these by filling out our
brief feedback form. This helps us improve the Tool Kit and raise funds to
support this project.
BIG-BOX BLIGHT: THE SPREAD OF DARK STORES |
| A growing number of towns are inundated with chronically vacant big-box stores and shopping centers. Here’s how to prevent big-box blight in your community. (2 pages) |
FIVE MYTHS ABOUT BIG-BOX RETAIL |
| Do big-box stores really create jobs, boost tax revenue, and grow the economy? This fact sheet counters common myths about big-box development. (2 pages) |
HOW BIG IS TOO BIG? |
| Help people visualize and understand just how big these stores are and how their size affects the community and local economy. (2 pages) |
KEY STUDIES ON BIG-BOX RETAIL |
| Concise summaries of the best available research on the impact of these stores on jobs, wages, local businesses, taxes, and more. (12 pages) |
IMPACT OF BIG-BOX STORES ON JOBS AND WAGES |
| Despite substantial evidence that big-box stores reduce employment and lower wages, many local officials still believe these stores are job creators. Set the record straight. (1 page) |
IMPACT OF BIG-BOX STORES ON TAXES AND PUBLIC COSTS |
| When evaluating retail development proposals, municipal officials often focus on only one side of the equation: the amount of new tax revenue that the project will generate. It’s easy to overlook the fact that big-box stores and shopping centers also create new costs. (4 pages) |
IMPACT OF BIG-BOX STORES ON TRAFFIC |
| A 200,000-square-foot superstore typically generates more than 10,000 car trips on weekdays and more on Saturdays. (1 page) |
LOCALLY OWNED VS. CHAIN: THE LOCAL PREMIUM |
| While dollars spent at locally owned stores stimulate the local economy, dollars spent at chains are siphoned out of the community. (1 page) |
| Polluted storm water runoff from big-box parking lots is a major threat to lakes, streams, and estuaries. (1 page) |
| Many cities report that big-box retailers generate large numbers of police calls, creating new costs for local government and reducing police presence and response times in other areas. (2 pages) |
| See which states have the most Wal-Mart stores and the most Wal-Mart square footage per capita, as well as a map of the 246 outlets Wal-Mart has abandoned. (3 pages) |
| Here we have collected a few examples of fact sheets and flyers created by local groups. |
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